Illinois State Police
The Illinois State Police (ISP) is the state police force of Illinois. Officially established in 1922, the Illinois State Police have over 3,000 personnelIllinois State Police. History. Accessed June 3, 2006. and 21 districts.Illinois State Police. Districts. Accessed June 3, 2006. The main facilities of the Illinois State Police Academy, which was constructed in 1968, are located in Springfield. Prior to 1968, training was conducted at the Illinois State Fairgrounds.Illinois State Police. Facilities. Accessed June 3, 2006. ISP also maintains the Illinois sex offender registryhttp://www.isp.state.il.us/sor/ and administers the state's AMBER Alert program.http://www.isp.state.il.us/crime/amber.cfm The Illinois State Police is also responsible for driving and physically protecting the Governor of Illinois. In 2005, officers and duties of the Illinois Department of Central Management Services Police were merged into the Illinois State Police. As of 2008, Larry Trent was the Director of the Illinois State Police, appointed by Governor Rod Blagojevich in 2003.Gov. Blagojevich announces key public safety appointments Strengthens Homeland Security Leadership Team. March 19, 2003. Traffic Enforcement Illinois State Police currently use various methods for speed limit enforcement on Illinois Highways. Hand-held and moving RADAR, LIDAR, pacing and time-distance measurement.Illinois State Police. Speed Limit Enforcement. Accessed June 3, 2006. In addition, The IL State Police has typical marked units (Crown Victorias, Impalas, and Chargers) as well as unmarked units of vehicles ranging from Crown Victorias to Grand Prix GTPs to LS-1 powered Z28s to Mustang GTs. The Mustangs, Camaros, and other vehicles are for a program created to combat aggressive driving and speeding. Since 1986, the Illinois State Police has patrolled Chicago Expressways. Illinois also announced in February 2006, that photo radar mounted in vans would be used for speed enforcement in construction zones statewide. Though the vans are manned by State Police troopers, a private company, ACS State and Local Solutions, provides the vans for a fee and receives a bonus of $15 per ticket issued.Illinois Department of Transportation. IDOT, ISP & Tollway Unveil Photo Speed Enforcement Van At Chicago Auto Show. February 9, 2006. Accessed June 3, 2006. A Motorcycle Enforcement Bureau (MEB) was created in 2006 consisting of 41 officers in six squads dispersed throughout the state.ISP. 2006 Annual Report. 50 Harley-Davidson FLHTPI Electra Glide's were leased for this use by the MEB.purchase.state.il.us 50 1 year leases for $1,920 each starting 05/01/06. Traffic Operations for D11 could be heard on 155.460 Mhz as of 10/27/08 Aircraft The Illinois State Police have six aircraft used for law enforcement throughout the state, one Cessna 421C and five Cessna 182. They are stationed at four airports, Abraham Lincoln Capital Airport, DuPage Airport, MidAmerica St. Louis Airport and Whiteside County Airport.Illinois State Police. Air Operations. Accessed June 3, 2006. ISP has used aircraft for speed enforcement, using stop watch time measurement, since 1959. According to the FAA, aircraft registered to ISP include, a Cessna 182R, a Cessna 182S, a Cessna 182S, a Cessna 182S, a Cessna 182S, a Cessna 421C and a 1953 Bell H13G. Illinois State Police Merit Board The Illinois State Police Merit Board administers the certification of the appointment and promotion of state police officers as well as their discipline, removal, demotion and suspension. The merit board consists of five civilian members who are appointed by the governor with the advise and consent of the state senate. Each member serves for a term of six years and no more than three may be affiliated with the same political party.Illinois Compiled Statutes 20 ILCS 2610/ Organization As of 2006, the Illinois State Police is organized into several divisions: * Operations - performs all of the functions of highway safety and criminal investigation, traffic enforcement is one of the more visible aspects of the operations department. * Forensic Services - provides the state with specialty crime scene services including DNA and fingerprint identification as well as computerized ballistics matching. * Administration - includes facility administration, communication services and logistics functions that are vital to ISP. ** Information and Technology Command * Internal investigations - performs a similar function as other internal affairs divisions as well as investigation of wrong doing in other agencies in the Illinois executive branch.Departmental organization. Accessed June 7, 2006. Illinois State Police districts Contact Information 801 South Seventh Street Springfield IL 62794-9461 Phone: (217) 782-7263 See also * List of law enforcement agencies in Illinois * State police * State patrol * Highway patrol References External links *Illinois State Police official website